The Palace has received the ratified 2026 General Appropriations Bill from Congress, placing any changes in the hands of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Executive Secretary Ralph Recto confirmed that a thorough review of the P6.793-trillion budget has begun, expected to last about a week.
On Tuesday, December 30, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto announced that Malacañang received the P6.793-trillion 2026 budget from Congress the previous day. He stated that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his team are examining all allocations and provisions to identify any changes from the original National Expenditure Program.
"The President and his team are scrutinizing all allocations and provisions to fully account for any changes from the originally submitted National Expenditure Program," Recto said.
The review is expected to take about a week, with Marcos set to sign the budget on January 5, 2026. This will result in the government operating on a reenacted budget—using the previous year's allocations—for five days. The Palace assured the public that this short period would not disrupt services.
"The public is assured that a brief period under a reenacted budget will not disrupt government operations. This deliberate review safeguards fiscal discipline and ensures that taxpayers’ hard-earned money is spent wisely and translated into benefits for the Filipino people," Recto added.
This marks the most delayed budget in the Marcos administration and the first to trigger a reenacted one. It comes amid a major corruption scandal at the Department of Public Works and Highways, where billions are suspected to have been siphoned through a kickback scheme involving lawmakers, officials, and contractors. In response, legislators livestreamed bicameral conference committee meetings, which extended to four days due to a deadlock over the DPWH budget, rather than the usual two days behind closed doors.